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Sunday, March 8, 2015

First Gobble of the Season, First Egg (Blog 232)

Tuesday, March 3 while walking at dawn, I heard my first gobble of the season. Later that day, our Rhode Island reds resumed laying eggs for the first time since late November. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Both turkeys and chickens have a pineal gland, that remarkable gland that has to do with photo period functions. As the days grow longer and the nights shorter, toms begin to gobble and hens resume laying eggs, which they had stopped laying when they began to molt in late fall/early winter. All of this regarding the life cycles of turkeys and chickens, the pineal gland has a great deal to do with.

It hasn't happened yet, but in a few days to a week, one morning behind our house, some roosted hens will break out in some serious yelping. Toms on our land and upstream and downstream from us will break out into a paroxysm of gobbling in response. The entire scenario makes me want opening day of spring gobbler season to come soon.

About Me

Bruce and Elaine Ingram live on 38 acres in Botetourt County, Virginia and have two wonderful children who live in the area. Elaine is a retired school teacher while Bruce continues to teach high school English. Both are freelance writers but for Bruce it is a profession while for Elaine it is a hobby.